The Woes of Ba Sing Se
by hardxfreakinxcore
Summary: For my Author's Notes, check my profile. Takes place when Zuko and Iroh settled down in Ba Sing Se. Without an Avatar to pursue, how will Zuko adapt to his new home? Some Zujin on the side, but not the focus of the story.
1. New Acquaintances

**Its about time I submitted something for AtlA! So, this takes place during the time when Zuko and Iroh were working at the teashop in Ba Sing Se, starting the night of Zuko's date with Jin. This is half AU, since it takes place during a time that was much shorter in the TV show, but later on it'll continue from after the season finale. **

**NOT PURELY A ROMANCE STORY. Sure, it'll have some on-and-off Zujin, and it'll have some vague, implied Zutara at the end, but that's not the whole point of the story. Basically, I'm trying to add more depth to Zuko's character and experiment with the whole, "what if?" scenario. **

**It may sound like it's getting off to a slow start, but trust me when I say it'll be picking up! There are some OCs in this story, but it's not a ZukoOC, nor will there BE any OC romance. No Mary Sues and Gary Stus here, either. It makes a reference to someone looking like Azula, but it's all for pure irony. Until the last chapter, the Gaang won't be making hardly any appearances except for next chapter, but they won't be adding to the story until then other than the whole "I must catch the Avatar" thing on Zuko's part.  
**

**And that's enough rambling by me! Please, review! All comments appreciated, especially constructive criticism! And I don't own Avatar - those evil bastards, Mike and Bryan, do. OH, and did the tea shop manager have a name? My memory fails me.**

* * *

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"Come on, nephew - I have _tea!_"

"That is one word I cannot stand to hear at the moment, Uncle."

The infernal pounding on Prince Zuko's door ensued, and he was in half a mind to Firebend it to smithereens.

"Zuko, just open up! For my sake." Ex-general Iroh pleaded, not about to give up hope on his nephew, who has just recently began to open up to the world. "If you said your night out was nice, then there must be nothing to hide!" After a few moments of murderous silence on the other side of the room, Iroh's grin spread from one end of his face to the other when he noticed Zuko sliding his door open and beckoning him to enter, and he pointedly ignored the miffed expression on his nephew's face.

"Thanks for the tea," Zuko muttered, barely audible as he begrudgingly followed his uncle into his sleeping quarters and accepted his uncle's Jasmine Tea. As Iroh took a seat next to the bed and began sipping his own beverage, Zuko climbed back into his bed, set his tea aside, and stared at the ceiling with his hands folded on his chest. "So, what was so important, Uncle?"

Iroh's eyes bugged out and he nearly choked on his tea - God forbid it! "Why, I just wanted to know more about your date tonight! Surely you haven't already forgotten!"

Zuko sighed, and the truth of the matter is that he wished he could forget about the night. Aside from the whole "you eat a lot for a girl" comment, he figured the date went rather nicely ñ but that was the problem. "I told you, it was nice. What else do you want?"

Iroh set down his tea, letting out a groan of frustration. "I want to know what _happened!_ First thing you do is barge into the room, slam your door, and then you tell me 'it was nice'? Come on, Prince Zuko," Iroh leaned over and patted his nephew's shoulder heartily, "tell Uncle Iroh all about it." Sensing little response from Zuko, he continued in a jesting manner, shaking his index finger at him. "Don't make me force the information out of you!"

Zuko closed his eyes, trying his best to block out his uncle. The least he needed right now was his relentless teasing. Meanwhile, Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Let's see… did she dump you?"

No apparent response was detectable by Iroh.

"_Did_ you dump _her?"_

Zuko turned on his side, away from his uncle, and propped himself on his pillows, resting the side of his head on his hand. Iroh smirked; knowing his second plan of action would surely get his nephew to spill something. In Zuko's case, embarrassment was the best method of provocation.

"Zuko," Iroh gasped in shock as his nephew reached for his cup of tea, then adapted a stern, condescending tone, "I knew it! You two didn't use protection!"

A piercing shattering of glass reverberated in the miniscule room, and Iroh nearly caused his bottom lip to bleed due to his trying to restrain himself from hysterics after seeing Zuko's response. His nephew, thoroughly humiliated and consumed by a feeling of utter repugnance, had reflexively dropped his cup of tea on the floor below. An awkward silence later, Iroh grinned sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

"I suppose I came to the wrong conclusion?"

"Later, Uncle." Zuko shook his head in shame, his face still beet red, but he wasn't sure if he was more ashamed of his uncle or himself through relation. "I really want to sleep," he insisted, praying that his uncle might allow the matter to rest for at least another day.

Understanding his nephew, Iroh nodded, still basking in his glory of his previous taunting. Teasing the Prince was simply too easy nowadays! "Okay, nephew, I'll let you go for now. Goodnight." With that, Iroh bounced out of the room, bubbly as ever, much to Zuko's dismay.

Still mortified by his uncle's crude implications, he mumbled a hushed "goodnight" and switched off his lamp. His thoughts immediately drifted to the few hours he spent with Jin, and had to admit he enjoyed his night out. But, deep down, he knew he couldn't settle down in this petty little town in Earth country! He had an Avatar to track down, honor to restore, and a whole nation to return to. He shouldn't be idling around in Ba Sing Se, working in a tea shop and receiving such a salary that barely supports his uncle and himself. Besides, suppose that he did remain in Ba Sing Se and live an average, sedentary lifestyle. What if his identity was somehow revealed to the public? It was a given that his uncle and he would be treated as refugees, and they would have to start their lives over again, most likely creating new aliases for themselves, once again.

This whole "new life" business was simply too risky on too many levels for Zuko. To top off all his worries, he remembered the incident at the firelight fountain, when he foolishly lit all the lamps with his Firebending. If he were Jin, he would have definitely peeked immediately after being told not to; plus, his uncle had once informed him that women have a natural streak of curiosity embedded in their beings. They were ruined! His uncle and he should already begin packing their bags, considering their previous luck. Before he wasted more energy reflecting on his life mistakes, he fell asleep, not even remembering to change out of his dress clothes.

* * *

"Come on, Lee, get the led out! Your girlfriend and a few of her friends just walked in." Iroh piped, slapping his snoozing nephew hard on the back, and he jolted out of his slumber in a defensive posture. Soon realizing where he was and sensing several concerned gazes on him, Zuko's shoulders slumped and last night's lack of sleep began having an effect on him. Too groggy to be bothered by Iroh's subtle jokes, he whipped out his notepad and sauntered over to Jin's table.

"Hey, kid, you look like you haven't got sleep in weeks. Say, you don't work night shifts, do you?" Zuko shifted his attention from the beaming Jin to the boy sitting across from her in the booth.

"Uh, no."

The boy responded with a sarcastic smirk. "Wow, Jin, he sure does have a way with words." He cast a meaningful glance in Zuko's direction before resuming, "so, did _you_ have any more luck in the sleep department, Jin?"

He continued laughing despite Jin smacking his arm. It took all of Zuko's willpower to restrain himself from burning the cocky kid's shaggy, chestnut-brown hair right off his head - then he'd be the one laughing.

"Daichi - you sarcastic _snot!_ - I don't want to hear any more innuendo out of you for the next five minutes. Can you manage?" Replying with a look of utmost feigned innocence, she frowned in disproval before turning to Zuko, who was glaring daggers at "the sarcastic snot."

"Lee, I'm terribly sorry for one of my friend's complete disrespect," she paused and glowered at Daichi, "but you can start taking our orders, and I speak on his behalf when I promise he won't be rude anymore," she finished, not yet taking her eyes off the teenager, who was currently chatting with another boy at the table about the fact that girls can't take a joke. "So, what do you recommend for today, Lee?"

"Well, I hear that 'Today's Specialty' sounds pretty good – "

"You're today's specialty, hun, and I'd like some white tea," the girl next to Jin stated matter-of-factly, wiggling her eyebrows. Jin shook her head in disapproval, wondering why two-thirds of her friends decided to completely embarrass her in front of Lee, the quiet, handsome stud at her local tea shop. By now, it was almost a lost cause for Zuko to even attempt at regaining some sense of dignity.

"Maiko, please refrain from further humiliating us and the poor guy over there. As if his job isn't hard enough," a low, drawling voice came from another boy in the corner, catching Zuko off-guard. "I'd like some Jasmine tea, please, and 'Wonder Boy' over here," he gestured to Daichi sitting next to him, "has already drained the whole pitcher of water over here. I'm sure he'll live."

Relieved that there was someone other than Jin he might be able to see eye-to-eye with, Zuko nodded his head and finished jotting down everyone orders. "Alright. I'll see you get your orders in no time," he said in the customary monotone, picked up their menus, and walked back into the kitchen, in dire need to speak with Iroh. He had forgotten to warn him about Jin's knowledge of his Firebending! Finding his uncle finishing up another order of tea in the back, Zuko strode over to Iroh and pulled him aside, whispering furiously to him.

"Uncle! I was right - Jin _knows_ we're from Fire Nation!"

Paying little attention to his nephew, Iroh sighed wearily and walked out of the kitchen and over to the counter. Furious, Zuko stormed out of the kitchen and waited impatiently for Iroh to finish exacting change for one of the customers. Once the man paid for his tea, Iroh beckoned Zuko to follow him back into the kitchen.

"Nephew, how many times do I have to tell you? As long as she hasn't seen either of us Firebend – "

"That's the problem!" Zuko flung his arms in the air, whispering angrily. "She saw me Firebend! I know she did!"

Interested, but still retaining his composure, Iroh exhaled slowly, his eyes closed in concentration. "When did this happen?" Iroh asked evenly. He knew his nephew was often times brash, but the Prince rarely demonstrated this degree of foolishness.

For a second, Zuko regretted informing his uncle of this, knowing he had to reveal some details of the events that took place last night. "It happened near the end of my night out with Jin," Zuko spoke softly, not removing his eyes from the kitchen door. "She wanted to show me something, a fountain, but it wasn't lit. She sounded really upset, so…" his voice trailed off, ashamed of his behavior, "I lit the lamps with Firebending. I told her to close her eyes, but there's still a good chance she might have looked," he bowed his head in disgrace, and waited for his uncle to reply.

"Well – "

Iroh's answer was cut short when the double-doors leading into the kitchen flew open. Their manager, beside himself, stomped up to the duo and motioned to the exit.

"You two - OUT! We have some very important people coming in today, and they've been waiting to be served for the past five minutes! Get. Moving." Not sparing another second of his valuable time, the livid man stormed back outside, mumbling something about "senile old men" and "lazy teenagers."

Before the two headed back outside, Iroh grasped Zuko's shoulder firmly, a slight smile gracing his lips. "Lee, I assure you, that even if Jin did see, I highly doubt she would have told anyone. She's still too busy swooning over you to worry about anything else!" Disregarding his nephew's piercing stare, he winked and they both walked out to the diner; however, what they saw next caused Zuko's heart to momentarily cease it's rhythmic beating.

A whole troop of Dai Li, in all their glory, waited inside of a large booth. The next series of events seemed as though they transpired in slow motion, and Prince Zuko could have sworn he heard the Jaws' theme playing in the back of his head, increasing in volume and speed as the menacing group of soldiers approached the counter with each step they took.

Iroh, who astonishingly managed to maintain his usual easygoing poise, casually removed his strong grip on Zuko's shoulder, not taking his eyes off the men. "I'm sure this is a mere coincidence, nephew. However, if there is a one-in-a-million chance that I am wrong, I want you to head out through the back of the kitchen, and I'll meet you at the city gates," he said lowly, and without further ado, strolled right up to the Dai Li leader. Although he wasn't fully reassured in his uncle's confidence, Zuko learned to trust the older man's judgment and he decided to drift near the kitchen door. Iroh plopped the palms of his hands on the countertop, not a hint of doubt lingering within his cheery disposition.

"Hello, good protectors of Ba Sing Se! What can I do for you?"

Without warning, the soldier in front thrust a closed fist at Iroh, who had little time to dodge such a sudden movement. Then, little by little, the gaunt man opened his fist, to reveal a large bundle of money.

"Ten orders of 'Today's Specialty'." It was not a request, it was a statement.

"Y-yes, right away - _nephew!_ Ten orders of 'Today's Specialty,' and let's get a move on it!" Choosing not to make small talk with arguably one of the most powerful men in all of Earth Country, Iroh bounded for the kitchen, dragging his oblivious, perplexed nephew by the sleeve with him.

* * *

"Uncle, that was _hell._"

"It wasn't all _that_ bad - well, yes it was. We're on break right now, nephew, so why don't you talk with those friends of yours? _I insist_."

Not even possessing ample energy to retaliate, Zuko trod over to Jin's table in the corner, rather than his usual haughty stride. Dragging a chair over to the table, he soon collapsed into it. Daichi reached across the table and slapped him hard on the back, cackling all the while.

"Cheer up, bud! Suppose that's why they call 'em the 'Die Lee,' huh?" Realizing that he was the only one in the group who found his quip amusing, he crossed his arms and glared at the silent boy next to him. "Geesh, Kenji. Did your bad mood rub off on everyone or something?"

Kenji, the supposed mute of the group, faced the rogue-ish young man next to him. "Don't blame me for your idiotic jokes, and for the fact that you are the only one who finds them funny."

"Oh, come on, stop being so joyful, it's making us a little uncomfortable."

Daichi's jubilant grin only seemed to further aggravate the sullen boy. Zuko, feeling a little uncomfortable himself by the interaction between the two, averted his attention to the two girls, who, as Fate would have it, were having a pleasant chat about the "Die Lee".

"No wonder 'Cutie' over there's wiped out! Serving the First Squadron of the Dai Li has to be really exhausting!" Maiko, the exuberant girl seated next to Jin, received disapproving looks from her best friend when mentioning "Cutie." As the two continued to babble, Zuko took a closer look at Maiko - she wore her hair in a black bun with two locks of hair bordering her thin, attractive face; despite her onyx eyes, he could have sworn she was Azula's twin when concerning external appearance.

"By the way, how's your dad been doing?" the Azula look-alike rattled on, twirling a wisp of hair with her index finger. "Hear they've been tracking down fugitives lately – it's pretty surprising he'd have time for his team to stop at a tea shop!"

Jin smiled benignly, making eye contact with Zuko, who was slowly absorbing the information Maiko was revealing. "Well, I guess all guys have to have their tea! He's coming right now, if you want to talk to him."

Zuko's head snapped back so fast he pulled a muscle in his neck. Massaging the sharp, throbbing pain in his lower neck, he watched as the Dai Li troop began heading in their direction, greatly intriguing and scaring Zuko; he prayed that Jin's father maybe, just maybe, was the harmless fellow walking adjacent to the squad, and not the daunting, sinister leader wearing an unreadable scowl plastered on his angular face, marching towards the five teenagers with his cronies following suit.

"Hey, Dad!" Jin called out, and to Zuko's surprise and disappointment, the front man raised his hand in acknowledgment. His prayers were not answered. When they finally arrived at the booth, Jin began making small talk with her father, while Zuko was thanking the gods that the scar less portion of his visage was facing the man. Eventually, the men parted, the man in charge stating that they were to report that they had no leads on the Avatar. For the next ten minutes, Daichi and Maiko insisted on questioning Zuko about his hobbies and background, forcing him to tell an awkward tale of his life in the circus with his uncle. He suffered extreme humiliation when Jin brought up the "juggling" incident, and he was somehow coerced into having a second shot with disastrous effects.

True, he would rather be spending his break trying to eavesdrop on bits of conversation considering where the Avatar had last been spotted, or catching up on some reading or other leisurely activities, but at least he had a break.


	2. The Fishing Trip

**Okay. So this hasn't been updated for an entire year. I was honestly way too busy to even think about writing last year, but I'm back! If anyone's even reading this still. I've got this story almost completely planned out in my notes, and I'm pretty proud. I'm gonna work on my stories one by one until they're all finished. God knows how long that'll take. Also, I'm using a different internet browser, so I can't use the line feature. Sorry about that. And I don't own Avatar, Mike and Bryan do.**

---

"Uncle, we have another problem!"

"Another problem, eh? Well, hurry up with your 'Jin-Knows-We're-Fire Nation' Speech, nephew, so I can give you my 'Jin-Is-Clueless-But-Still-Madly-In-Love-With-You' Speech. I am feeling rather tired today, especially after serving that charming Dai Li Squadron…"

Iroh sighed wearily as he set his frenzied nephew's bowl of steamed rice in front of him, then rubbed his eyes sleepily as Zuko raged on with what he predicted to be the same speech he has heard at least four different occasions today. Zuko had become so accustomed to Iroh's teasing him about the pretty girl in the teashop he completely ignored the jibe.

"She may be clueless now, but not for long!" Zuko paused dramatically, deciding to let his uncle suffer until he let out what he was sure to be a bombshell. "Jin's father is the Dai Li's _leader_." Rather proud of himself for dragging out the information so flawlessly, an infuriating trick he had inherited from his uncle, he smirked at his uncle, superiority positively radiating from his haughty smile.

After those few moments of Zuko basking in his arrogance, he noticed his uncle had hardly reacted to the news. Iroh stared at him with that supposed mind reading, all-knowing _stare_ that made Zuko want to gouge out his eyes.

"Zuko, we have no wanted pictures of us posted on the city walls. They know nothing about our pasts," he spoke sagely, annoying Zuko already. He _hated _being wrong. "They saw me as nothing more than a humble old man who happens to brew the finest tea in Ba Sing Se, and they saw you as nothing more than a brooding teenager who is sick of living on the fringes of society."

Zuko was still less than comforted. "So you're still adamant about staying where we are? Can't we at least work at a teashop where Jin can't find us?"

Iroh nodded. "Yes, I am, and no, we can't. I am perfectly content with where we are. Besides," and Iroh sported yet another expression that Zuko regarded with extreme distaste: the dreaded Sly Grin. "How could I possibly rip you from the arms of your loving girlfriend?"

Zuko shook his head as he poked at his rice feebly. "I've told you a million times already –"

"Speaking of which," and Iroh had completely disregarded Zuko's defense," I believe you told me last night, when I asked you how your date went, you said – and I quote – 'later'." Zuko cradled his head in his palms, already knowing his uncle's request. "Well, now is later, so fess up nephew!"

There was no escape. He had to say something. Zuko considered lying, but sadly he was at the shallow end of the gene pool when it came to the art of deceit. But he could always leave out a few certain things, and that was merely known as the absence of truth. So Zuko plunged on, recalling the previous night's events; all, that is, except for a few minor details. He figured he wouldn't hear the end of his uncle's taunting if he admitted to saying she "had a big appetite for a girl," the horrible juggling incident (Zuko still cringed every time the disastrous incident chose to plague his mind) or worse, kissing her (which he sometimes had to search the dark recesses of his mind to make sure it had actually transpired in reality, for it was so surreal yet brief, Zuko often wondered if it had taken place in a dream).

When he had finished, Iroh wore an odd, befuddled expression. The corner of his lips was twitching.

"First off: _a traveling circus?"_

Zuko tried and failed not to blush, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "Well, what would _you_ have said, on the spot?" He would like to see his uncle come up with _half _as good of a lie. At least he got by with his.

Iroh gawked at him. "You need to get out more, nephew."

Zuko considered that statement. He supposed it was true. Then again, improvisation is a tricky art to master.

"So Lothario," Iroh continued jokingly, laughter evident in his voice. His nephew's completely two-dimensional perspective of talking to girls amused him to no end. "What circus act were we a part of?"

Zuko, clearly flustered and finally realizing how utterly _stupid_ he had acted on his date, stood up and filled his empty rice bowl with noodles for seconds, and somewhere between filling his bowl and trudging back Iroh detected a muttered word he understood as "juggling."

"I wasn't even being serious," Iroh said to himself in wonder. "Were you really that _dense?"_

"Can we change the subject, _please?"_ Zuko pleaded, because yes, he really was that dense. He occupied himself with inhaling his noodles, praying that maybe if he ate fast enough, good fortunate might grace him for once and allow his airway to become constricted long enough so he would pass out, which would mean a free ride out of this train wreck of a conversation.

"Well…" Iroh raised his chopsticks to his chin as he tried to think of the most obviously embarrassing questions or observations about events that may or may not have occurred during his date. "You told me about Firebending at the fountain earlier today. _So _foolish, and yet _so _charming. Surely the work of my nephew."

Zuko closed his eyes in shame – definitely not two of his brightest ideas: possibly blowing their cover as refugees so he could please a girl, and then telling his uncle about it. He contented himself by continuing to slurp his noodles to save himself from providing any sort of reaction or retaliation. If he couldn't choke and die, well, an inability to speak was also very good. He also found the stain near the edge of his bowl suddenly interesting.

There was another long silence, in which Zuko was sure his uncle was thinking of any last questions.

"Did you kiss her?"

Zuko coughed up a noodle.

Deciding maybe if he simply ignored the question long enough, his uncle might forget he ever asked it; he casually cleaned up his dishes as if Iroh had never spoken. Zuko prided himself with his acting abilities – after all, that's what the Blue Spirit was all about, wasn't it?

Although completely dumbfounded by his nephew's perplexing mannerisms, Iroh knew, at least, there was more to what happened that night than what Zuko was letting on. For the sake of teasing his nephew, he pressed on, noticing that Zuko was strolling over to the door to his room with a tad more elegance than usual. "So, did you or didn't you –"

"Goodnight, Uncle." He reached for the sliding door's handle, still smoothly ignoring his uncle.

"But what about my –"

SLAM.

Iroh grinned, unable to help himself. He inched over to his nephew's door as quietly as possible about a minute later.

"So I say you two should go out again – maybe you could teach Jin how to juggle?"

The door opened, revealing a glaring Prince Zuko, arms crossed. Iroh struggled with keeping a straight face, and despite his outward anger, his nephew's lips were giving the smallest hint of a smile. After that moment, Zuko slid his door shut once more with the same forcefulness. Iroh headed to own room, plopped down on his own bed, and laughed.

---

The next day, as Zuko and Iroh cleaned up from a day's busy work, Daichi sauntered into the teashop, brushing his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes.

"Good evening world! I'll be taking over for the night shift early today."

The world greeted the sunny teenager with both an equally sunny "Hello!" and something that resembled a wave accompanied with an indifferent "hm."

"So you must be Lee's uncle, Mushi, right?" Daichi asked as he gestured for Iroh to hand him the broom. "I'm Daichi, one of Jin's friends."

"Yes I am, and nice to meet you. Where's the rest of your group?" Iroh asked, handing the broom over and then sitting down next to his nephew on the countertop.

"In town somewhere. I wanted to stop by to ask you guys a question. The guy who runs the teashop, he raises me you know, and tomorrow we're going to be closed for a fishing trip. He's rather fond of you guys, and since I got to get to know Lee a bit better now that he's getting all acquainted with Jin," Zuko glared at Daichi as his uncle and him laughed, "we were wondering if you want to come?"

Before Zuko had a chance to protest, Iroh answered for him once again. "We'd love to come! What time and where?"

Daichi grinned. "Great! Meet an hour before regular opening time, and then we'll walk over to the lake. I invited the others too, but Kenji changed his mind, so then everyone else fell out too. _Followers,_" Daichi spat, not agreeing with the philosophy of the word one iota. "Now you guys get out of here, I have work to do and you guys have a home to get to!"

Mushi smiled appreciatively as his nephew and he headed towards the door. "You're a very kind young man, taking over early for us."

"Don't sweat it. Rest up for tomorrow!" Daichi waved goodbye cheerfully, and Iroh did the same. Zuko acknowledged him with a nod and another small wave, and together the two left the teashop, one of them already excited for tomorrow.

---

Zuko's arms swung limply by his side as he shambled over to the teashop, yawning hugely. There were dark circles around his right eye and his shoulders were slumped. He hated fishing and anything that required him to wake up at such an ungodly hour. He scratched his arm disinterestedly and sighed once his uncle and he reached Daichi and Pao. It further tired him simply watching the two beaming at him, undoubtedly itching to set out for the park. Zuko was _not _a morning person.

"Ready to go?" Pao asked, handing both Zuko and Iroh their fishing gear.

"Ready as you are!" Iroh responded, walking next to him, which left Daichi and Zuko trailing behind. "I can't remember the last time we've gone fishing, can you nephew?"

He could, but satisfied himself with a slight shake of the head. The last time he even attempted fishing had been when his uncle and him were on the run. Being generous, he supposed, his catch might have been the length of his thumb. This was going to be a miserable trip – stuck with three easily excitable people who were equally excited about fishing.

Zuko crossed his arms stubbornly as Iroh answered one of Daichi's questions about their time as traveling circus members. "Well, yes we did a bit of juggling, but we were only the back-up act. We were actually _swordfighters,_ could you imagine?" Daichi grinned when Iroh agreed to show him part of their old routine one day.

Zuko's scowl deepened when his uncle turned to face him, smirking at him good-naturedly. Zuko was already mad at the old man for agreeing to this _stupid_ trip in the first place, miserable that he would be trapped at a _stupid_ fishing lake for the entire day, and now for making him feel even more _stupid _than he already did for his actions on his date with Jin.

Just a little ray of sunshine, that's what Zuko was. A little ray of sunshine.

---

Trying to take the optimist's perspective, Zuko was relatively confident in that there wasn't much else that could further ruin his day. To say the least, his worst fears were confirmed. As it turned out, Pao, Iroh, and Daichi excelled at fishing and, if any good could come out of today, it was that he would be heading home with a full stomach.

However, he positively reeked of fish, and made sure to drown himself in the shower when he arrived home. When he mentioned the abhorrent smell, Daichi responded by pushing him into the lake, claiming that it would help him grow accustomed to the stench, laughing all the while. Zuko retaliated by saying if he enjoyed the smell so much, then maybe he should jump in too. Before Daichi could react, Zuko grabbed him by the ankles and soon there were two drenched boys, both reeking of fish, arguing in the lake. The ensuing water fight lasted at least fifteen minutes.

Zuko's hitherto fishing abilities were still as meager as ever. He had endured colossal amounts of teasing from the other three, until he grew so sick of it he was determined to catch at least one fish. Daichi made a bet with Zuko: if he managed to catch a fish by the end of the day, then Daichi had bathroom cleaning duties at the teashop for the rest of the week. If Zuko lost the bet, the punishment would be granted to him. Zuko did end up catching a fish, so he left to call for Daichi. When they returned, Zuko's fishing pole along with his fish had somehow disappeared. Before Daichi had a chance to call Zuko out for pulling a fast one on him, and before Zuko had a chance to search for a remotely sharp object to plow through his chest (bathroom duties really weren't all that pleasant), they both looked down to the lake and watched in awe as a decent-sized fish carried away Zuko's fishing pole. But since that meant Zuko had no means of obtaining fish, Daichi won the bet by default and wouldn't hear any more of it. Lee had bathroom duties for a week. Case closed.

Zuko stared into the growing fire that Daichi had started a few minutes earlier, waiting for his uncle and Pao to finish preparing their meals. Then a sudden thought came to him.

"I didn't know the teashop owner was your father. You don't look much like him," Zuko noted, fishing for something to say. He hoped it might speed up the time passing for his uncle and Pao to return with their dinner.

The young man looked up to Lee from the other side of the fire.

"That's because he's not my father. Well, not my _legitimate_ one, anyways." Daichi fiddled with a twig on the ground, twirling it between his fingers. He hardly sounded bitter - more nonchalant than anything. "But he's as good as, you know? Kind of like your uncle, I guess."

Zuko could relate, and responded with a sincere "yeah." It was about as sincere as Zuko could get with a guy he didn't know too well who and considering he wasn't a pro with this empathy business. He decided not to pursue the subject, knowing too well that the conversation would delve into terrain that both of them would find difficult to discuss. There was a short silence, until Daichi's familiar, good-spirited voice spoke once more.

"So about Jin," and Daichi wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Zuko to roll his eyes. He had just spent all last night discussing his somewhat disastrous, somewhat pleasant date with Jin already, and he had no intentions of reliving it a third time.

"She's like a sister to me, you know," Daichi continued, ignoring Zuko's reluctance. "She told me how you ran off that night. How come? And don't say 'it was complicated,' 'cause Jin told me about that. I want as concrete of an answer that you can give," and he poked Zuko in the chest for affect.

Zuko didn't know how to respond. How could he give a concrete answer without revealing his past?

Sensing Zuko's discomfort, Daichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hm. Does it have to do with that circus business? I bet it was really hard to have time for friends or a girlfriend, traveling around and all, huh?"

Zuko nodded weakly. It was ironic that, although it was in a different context, the majority of what Daichi said was true. For the past three years of his life, all his attention, all his desire, all his purpose was sacrificed for finding the Avatar. In fact, his life might as well be considered a circus, when he thought about it. Zuko had given friends and, later on, girls, thought during his years of desperate searching. He convinced himself that as soon as he found the legendary bender, he would be able to return to the life he once lived and could focus on such things.

"But - and now I'm being completely honest here – despite my dashing good looks and charming, attractive personality, experience-wise I'm not much more different than _you,"_ Daichi admitted in an almost sulky tone.

"I have a hard time believing _that."_ His skepticism was well founded; the day he first met Daichi, Maiko's group of chatty girlfriends came over. Kenji called them "Daichi's Fanclub." They would sit at their table and simply _admire _him, maybe ask him some questions about his dating exploits, which resulted in some fantastic, hilarious tale about a former date. Combined with his "natural charm" and, indeed, good looks, Daichi was definitely the Ladies' Man.

To Zuko's astonishment, Daichi shook his head. "Now, you don't say a _word _about this. I haven't even told Jin or anyone else this before, all right? _Not a word. _Or else you won't be liking where I'll be sticking this fishing rod," and he brandished the nearby fishing pole threateningly.

Under normal circumstances, Zuko would have scoffed and said, "I'd like to see you try." However, he was curious as to this new bit of information, so he settled for crossing his arms and nodding, cynical as ever.

Accepting Zuko's lukewarm assurance, he looked around warily, as if some woodland creature might be eavesdropping on their conversation. Then, he murmured: "I've only been kissed three times before."

After another protracted silence, Zuko absorbed the absolute mortification present in Daichi's features and the hushed whisper in which he spoke. Unwillingly, Zuko let out a shout of laughter, and Daichi threw a clump of grass at Zuko. He couldn't help himself - it was simply odd how Daichi was so tormented by something that was utterly insignificant in Zuko's eyes, and arguably everyone else's. It was even odder that the young man who everyone considered to be the "modern day Casanova," turned out to be playing up his reputation the entire time. And it was still _odder _that Daichi was glaring at him for laughing, under the delusion that Zuko thought three kisses were some sort of _embarrassment. _

Daichi spoke again, clearly wanting to change the subject. _"Anyways_, just so you know, Jin still wants to be friends, but hasn't given up on you." Daichi grinned. "What she sees in you, _I don't know, _but…" He laughed, as it was Zuko's turn to throw a clump of grass at the man across him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, just give this place a chance, huh? It's probably different for you, to stay settled in one place, but you might like it here."

---

"So it looked like you had somewhat of a good time today, right Zuko?" Iroh asked, partly opening the sliding door to Zuko's room, where his nephew lounged on his bed, hands folded behind his head.

Zuko shrugged, remembering the question he wanted to ask his uncle earlier at the lake. He straightened up, his sleep-deprived self fighting the gradual droopiness gathering in his eyelids. "Did you know about the teashop owner?"

Iroh stared back confusedly for a few seconds, before a look of comprehension graced his features. "Oh, you mean how he adopted Daichi?"

Zuko blinked. "How long have you known?"

"Since today." Iroh sat down at the corner of Zuko's bed. "Pao told me he adopted Daichi four years back. Poor boy," Iroh shook his head sadly, "but he is lucky to have found such a great replacement father figure. Who knows how he might have turned out, all things considered?"

Those last few words perked Zuko's interest. "What happened?"

Iroh considered his nephew for a moment before continuing. "I think Daichi should tell you when he's ready." Noticing his nephew's disgruntled glare, he continued warily, choosing his words carefully. "Let's just say… he is yet another product of two desperate people under desperate circumstances. Of a woman who cared too much and a man who could care less."

Zuko folded his arms tightly, narrowing his eyes. "You're being proverbial again," he noted harshly.

Iroh chuckled bitterly, standing up and heading towards the door. "Try figuring that one out, nephew. Goodnight," and he left the room without another word, leaving an undoubtedly aggravated Prince Zuko to his confused thoughts, knowing too well he wouldn't even attempt to decipher his maxim.


End file.
